1. Field of the Disclosure
The present application generally relates to powerline communication (PLC) and, more specifically, to systems and methods for limiting noise emissions and reducing transmission power associated with powerline communication networks.
2. Description of Related Art
Powerline communication networks use existing powerline infrastructure (e.g., the power lines within a home, automobile, or even across multiple homes) to send signals between PLC devices or nodes. For example, a powerline communication network can supplement a home's wired (e.g., Ethernet) and wireless (e.g., WiFi) networks. The bandwidth of powerline communication networks has greatly increased in recent times. For example, some PLC channels are now capable of delivering one gigabit per second (Gbps) speeds, which are sufficient for multiple HD video streams. As a result, powerline communication networks are becoming increasingly practical and prevalent.
Currently, PLC devices typically transmit at maximum power levels, as established by either the local regulatory domain or by the physical characteristics of the transmission medium and the PLC devices' transceivers. As an example of the latter case, PLC devices on a network may reduce transmission power levels when the transmission medium has low attenuation, and when the reduction would result in better performance (e.g., due to better dynamic range properties of the resulting PLC signal).